December 10, 2025
Fraud Article
Veriff Identity Fraud Report 2026: Key highlights & trends
Everything you need to know about the state of online fraud – and what you can do to prevent it.
Today, we are excited to launch the Veriff Identity Fraud Report 2026. This report represents our most comprehensive analysis to date, offering an in-depth examination of the evolving landscape of online fraud. Based on extensive global customer data collected over the past year, it provides detailed insights across industries, regions, fraud types, and use cases.
Veriff’s AI-powered systems and fraud prevention teams intercept thousands of fraudulent attempts daily. This scale of data reveals clear patterns: whether analyzed by region, industry, or method, one fact remains constant. Online fraud continues to be a persistent and growing threat to digital businesses. The rise of AI has further escalated this challenge, enabling fraudsters to operate more efficiently and at scale.
The barriers to entry for online fraud are lower than ever. Accessible, cost-effective tools have fueled the growth of “fraud-as-a-service,” making it a rapidly expanding industry.
This report equips you with the knowledge to navigate these escalating risks. It offers actionable insights into verifying customer identities, ensuring your business can confidently distinguish trustworthy, valuable users in an increasingly complex digital environment.
Explore key fraud statistics, regulatory shifts, and actionable recommendations from Veriff’s new report.
Key takeaways: The state of fraud in 2026
The following key data points provide a comprehensive overview of the current fraud landscape, illuminating the primary risks and evolving trends impacting both businesses and consumers.
1. The overall fraud challenge remains constant
The net fraud rate, the sum of all fraud types combined, remains high. In 2025, 4.18% of all verification attempts were fraudulent. That means one in every 25 attempts involved someone pretending to be someone else.
2. AI is increasing the danger
While the overall fraud rate held steady, the nature of the attacks shifted. Digitally presented media was 300% more likely to be either entirely AI-generated or otherwise altered compared to last year. While AI-powered fraud still represents a small fraction of the total, it is growing at an alarming rate.
3. Impersonation fraud dominated
Impersonation fraud amounted to more than 85% of all fraudulent attempts we saw this year. This type of fraud has increased considerably in both volume and sophistication.
4. Document fraud is dropping
In a positive turn, document fraud (physically altering or counterfeiting documents) saw a 13% year-over-year drop. This suggests fraudsters are realizing that modern verification systems are difficult to defeat with fabricated physical documents and are shifting tactics.
5. E-commerce platforms were the worst hit
The online marketplace vertical faced the bleakest picture out of any industry, with sophisticated criminal networks increasingly targeting these platforms due to their high transaction volumes and complex ecosystems involving multiple third-party sellers. E-commerce sites saw a net fraud rate of 19.2% in 2025—nearly five times the global average.
6. Financial services remain in the firing line
The financial services industry saw a net fraud rate of more than 5.5%, a significant and worrying increase from the previous year. The “rich pickings” in this sector continue to make it a primary target for sophisticated and relentless fraudulent activities.
Secure your business for 2026
The Fraud Report 2026 makes one thing clear: the threat is evolving, but so are the defenses. Veriff is building the infrastructure for trust online, helping you comply with regulations, fight sophisticated fraud, and achieve growth on a global scale.
Don’t let your business become a statistic in next year’s report.
Talk to us today to discover how Veriff can help you combat online fraud.
